The present invention relates to laryngoscopes and relates particularly to laryngoscopes to assist intubation of a tracheal tube.
Insertion of a tracheal tube is an important procedure in providing an airway to an anaesthetist prior to a surgical operation. Tracheal tubes also often need to be inserted in an emergency situation into the airway of an unconscious patient by paramedics or doctors. Insertion of a tracheal tube requires significant skill, and laryngoscopes are generally used to assist the insertion of the tube by restraining the patient's tongue and allowing a clear view of the larynx and the entrance to the trachea. Considerable skill and care is required in carrying out this procedure in order to avoid damage to the patient's teeth and soft tissue of the throat.
A known laryngoscope is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,835. This known laryngoscope comprises an elongate blade for insertion into the patient's mouth and which is attached in use to a handle extending generally at right angles to the blade such that the blade and handle lie generally in the same plane.
Most, if not all, prior art laryngoscopes are of the type described above in which the blade and handle lie generally in the same plane. These known laryngoscopes suffer from the drawback that because the blade and handle occupy the same plane, the user's hand obscures the view into the patient's throat, making the laryngoscope more difficult to use In addition, known laryngoscopes are usually stored in a folded condition in which the handle extends generally parallel to the blade. This frequently results in the drawback that blood and other body fluids on the blade come into contact with the handle, causing a risk of cross contamination when the handle subsequently comes into contact with the sterilised blade, thus potentially transferring infection between patients. In addition to the above disadvantages, prior art laryngoscopes often require a series of blades of different sizes to accommodate different sizes of patient.